Wearable and durable triboelectric nanogenerators via polyaniline coated cotton textiles as a movement sensor and self-powered system

Abstract

Recently, wearable and flexible triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted tremendous research interest owing to their ability to harvest the energy from working environments and been further utilized to power various portable electronics. In this regard, for the first time, we report a polyaniline (PANI)-based flexible and wearable TENG in low-processing cost with superior electrical performance and durability. The cotton textile with good flexibility and intertwined micro-fibrous network is utilized as a scaffold to deposit PANI by a facile, cost-effective and low-temperature in-situ polymerization method. Moreover, the fibrous textured cotton textile can also offer high surface roughness, which enhances the output performance of TENG. Herein, this PANI coated worn-out cotton textile (PANI@WCT) is employed as a positive triboelectric material and electrode to design a TENG. The PANI@WCT produced at the deposition time of 20 h is realized as an optimal sample to attain high output performance. The electrical stability and mechanical durability of PANI@WCT-based TENG (PW-TENG) are also examined under long-term cyclic compression operations and various mechanical deformation cycles. Furthermore, the PANI@WCT has a potency in constructing vertical contact-separation dual-electrode mode TENG as well as it also serves as a single-electrode mode. So, the electrical output performance of single-electrode mode PW-TENG is also analyzed while it makes a contact with various materials available in our daily life. Finally, to demonstrate the practical applications of PW-TENG, the generated power is used to drive various portable electronics for wearable electronic applications.